Waterproof composition



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WATERPROOF COMPOSITION.-

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LESTER KIRSOHBRAUN,

. a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Evanston, county of Cook, and State .of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Waterproof Composition, of which thefollowing is a specification. v

This invention-relates to improvements in waterproof compositions, and has among its salient objects to provide a composition consisting essentially of a matrix of colloidal material and a binder, and a fibrous filler; to provide a process in which the colloidal material and binder, constitute with water, an emulsified matrix, which is nonsticky while in an aqueous condition, and

which when mixed with fiber, will flow readily so that it can be formed into a web or sheet without sticking to the forming or sheeting mechanism to provide a product which can be formed into paper by the utilization of the common or ordinary papermaking machines, whether of the cylinder or Fourdriniertypes; to provide a product in which the paper, by the utilization of a proper binder may be colored by-the use of acoloring material such as dye or pigment; and to provide a product in which relatively waste products may be utilized as the fibrous material to be incorporated in the emulsi fied matrix.

The invention in its broader aspect consists of a stock capable of being felted and consisting of an emulsified matrix of water, colloidal clay, or equivalent colloidal material, and a normally adhesive pitchy or bituminous binder, in which the water and clay constitute the external phase of the emulsion, mixed with a fibrous pulp so that it may be formed into a web or sheet on a paper-forming machine. Any suitable form of fibrous material, such as is ordinarily employed in the manufacture of paper, box board, roofing felt, or the like, may constitute the fibrouselement of the stock, but I may in particular, if desired, employ to ad-' vantage ground corn stalks or the stalks of sugar cane, broom corn, Kafir corn, or plants of a similar character.

An essential feature of the stock or composition of matter isjof course that it must be capable of'being ,di1uted to any extent with water sothat is capable of being flowed or formed into-a sheet by the usual paper-making-pr sheet forming machines,

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 251, 1921.

Application filed May 9, 1921. Serial No. 468,024.

either of the Wet type or of the type of those in which the continuous sheet is dried after being formed.

Another essential feature of the stock is that the bituminous matrix should be nonadhesive so that it will not tend to coat or clog the blankets, felts or other instrumentalities with which the stock is brought into contact during the formation of the sheet. o In the preparation of the bituminous matrix I employ a normally adhesive fusible, pitchy binder of the nature of pitch, bitumen, or their equivalents, which are normally adhesive, and which are capable of coating the fibers and forming a binder for uniting them, to constitute a more or less waterproof sheet. Ordinarily I employ either asphalt, or coal tar pitch if the latter be desired, which require liquefaction for purposes of emulsion. If, however, a lighter color is desired, the fusible pitchy binder may be formed of resin tempered with the solid residue resulting from the redistillation of the wax tailing, wax tailings obtained by the well known commercial processes of distillation, or with linseed oil, china wood oil, rosin oil, solid paraflin, or any other kind of drying or non-drying oils, or a mixture of any two or more of such ingredients. By the terms bitumen or adhesive pitchy b1nder,'I mean those materials, such as referred to herein, which require liquefaction by heat for purposes of emulsification, which when reduced to fragments and without, conversion to non-adhesive form, would in being sheetedon a paper machine, adhere to the felts or other instrumentalities, of such machine.

In preparing the emulsion, an aqueous paste is formed of material (preferably nonadhesive), containing colloidal matter, such for example as clay, which is stirred into the water and thinned to a pasty consistency in about the proportion of two parts of clay to one of water by Weight. This aqueous paste is preferably heated to a temperature below the boiling oint of water, say for-example, to 150-180 'egrees F. To this aqueous paste a is now gradually added the binder and the two are stirred together and so agitated as to cause the binder to be finely dispersed throughout the aqueous medium, the colloidal clay serving as the emulsifying agent. Additional hot water or clay suspension, is added to the mixture, particularly if'the binder be heated to a temperature above the boiling point of water to-liquefy it in o rder to prevent the inversion of the phases and to maintain the emulsionin its aqueous pasty .q condition. peratu're of the paste and that of the binder, and by regulating the addition of the water, and the degree or nature of the agitation of the mixture, the degree of dispersion of the binder in the aqueous medium can be varied within considerable limits. For example, the binder can be so reduced that the particles will pass through a two hundred meshed sieve. In any event, the dispersed particles of the binder,- notwithstanding their normally adhesive nature, are in a non-adhesive condition in the emulsion. This emulsion is now in such condition that it may be thinned to any desired extent b the addition of water and without the application of heat. It is capable of being added to the beater in which the fibrous materials are being disintegrated, or to the stuff chest or flow box of the paper-makin for intimate mixture with the fi rous material.

After the paper stock or other fibrous materials and the diluted'emulsion are thoroughly intermixed, the mixture is formed into sheets by passing it over a suitable paper machine, either of the Fourdrinier, or the cylinder types or the well known board or wet machine. The fibers are felted toget-her, and form a felted sheet, from which the binder may be subsequently abstracted by-suitable solvents without the disintegration of the sheet. The thickness of the sheets so formed may be regulated accordmg to the urpose for which the productis intended. f the binder is made of paraflin, a relatively light colored sheet may be formed; although it may be necessary to breach the pulp. The material after it has been sheeted is, of course, dried and isthen ready for use. As the material dries the are subjected to pressure in their con strucparticles of the binder coalesce and intimately unite the fibers and form a substantially continuouswaterproof body throughout the sheet. In certain cases it is desirable to mold the composition instead of sheeting it; as for example, in the case of conduits, receptacles and the like, or in the formation of bricks or other articles which tion. I

In lieu of utilizing the usual fibrous materials such as hereinbefore referred to, I may utilize comminuted corn stalks or' other waste fibrous materials hereinbefore mentioned. Several attempts have beenpreviously made to produce paper from corn stalks ,.but one of the commercial difliculties experienced was that expensive preliminary treatments were necessary in order to free the paper from the associated non-cellulose matter contained in the corn stalk. I have By regulating the tem' machine found, however, that the cornstalks can be employed in carrying out my own phase of invention merely by grinding them into finely divided condition without the necessity ofcompletely removing the non-fibrous substances. It may be desirable to remove certain of these substances from the fiber, but not to the extent that has heretofore been required. In fact in certain cases the noncellulose material can be advantageously utilized in the formation of the herein described emulsified matrix. It is probably due to the colloidal character of certain of the materials contained in the corn stalks. In such cases the necessity of using-any substantial percentages of other colloidal material such as clay, may be obviated. In utilizing corstalks they are first ground or chopped into comminuted form and then subjected to a digesting operation to reduce them to a more or less pulpy condition. If desired, chemicals may be added to assist in the pulping operation and to remove more or less of the non-fibrous material. This pulpy mass. is then transferred to suitable beaters in which the fibers are thoroughly disintegrated and prepared in the usual way for the formation ofthe sheet. These fibers may be mixed with the emulsified matrix and sheeted as herein set forth.

What I claim is: 1. A stock capable of being felted, consisting of an emulsified matrix of water, colloidal clay and a normally adhesive pitchy binder in which the water and clay form the external phase of the emulsion, mixed with a fibrous pulp, and capable of being,

felted on apaper-forming machine. p 2. A stock capable of being felted on a paper-forming machine and consistlng o1 a normally adhesive pitchy binder .dispersed plitchy- .binder, in which the binder in non-ad ing of an emu sified matrix 'of water, col

loidal clay, and a normally adhesive pitchy binder, in which the water and clay form the external phase of theemulsion, mixed with a fibrous pulp containing non-fibrous constituents, sald stock being capable of. being felted on. a paper formin -machine.v

5. stock, capa le of being felted on-a paper forming machine and consisting of a normally adhesive in an aqueous vehlcle with an emusifymg agent and forming a non-adhesive emulsion,.

pitchy binder, dispersed and fibrous pulp containing non-fibrous constituents, mixed with such-emulsion.

6. An aqueous stock capable of being felted on a paper making machine consisting of a normally adhesive bituminous binder, water, and fibrous pulp, in admixture, the bitumen being rendered non-adhesive so as not to adhere to the instrumentalities of the paper making machine.

7. An aqueous bituminous stock capable 10 of being felted on a paper making machine, consisting of a mixture of fibrous pulp and a nonadhesive emulsion of bitumen, c0l

loidal clay and Water in which the bitumen is dispersed in particles sufliciently fine to 15 pass through a 200 mesh sieve.

LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN. 

